S54 M3 vs CSL Engine
Discussion
RatBoy M3CS said:
I'm considering if its worth doing any engine mods, to get mine to CSL spec..?, if the superchips map +15 bhp will do the same job, or if any of it is worth doing at all...?
You would be hard pushed to get 360 from the standard M3 engine. One thing to consider is that most M3's struggle to make full beans in terms of power, a good one will do 330bhp. Every CSL i have ever tested has made around 360. So the difference is actually around 30bhp, and it shows on the road. I've seen alot of people spend alot of money chasing the the CSL power, and not being very successful.And i would not let superchips go near my Bigmac, let alone my M3.
Vixpy1 said:
RatBoy M3CS said:
I'm considering if its worth doing any engine mods, to get mine to CSL spec..?, if the superchips map +15 bhp will do the same job, or if any of it is worth doing at all...?
You would be hard pushed to get 360 from the standard M3 engine. One thing to consider is that most M3's struggle to make full beans in terms of power, a good one will do 330bhp. Every CSL i have ever tested has made around 360. So the difference is actually around 30bhp, and it shows on the road. I've seen alot of people spend alot of money chasing the the CSL power, and not being very successful.And i would not let superchips go near my Bigmac, let alone my M3.
CSL engine is identical except for the camshafts which are slightly different in the ramp angle which is more aggressive to get to maximum lift quicker. The lift and duration is identical. BMW pick the best engines for the CSL, other than that they are the same.
The engine management is entirely different, using an Alpha-N ECU measuring throttle position to calculate air mass, so there is no mass air flow sensor. This is necessary due to the carbon air box which can cause turbulence in the air stream. You can get 370ish out of a standard M3 engine with schrick cams and a remap. The CSL will always produce about 15 bhp more because of the air box and less restrictive intake. I would advise against the cams as the wear rate is higher due to the increased lift. Best done with hardened rockers, and at the minimum new BMW rockers.
Have raced CSLs in Britcar and built several engines, and as standard CSL engine on a Motec ECU produces 380bhp on an engine dyno. An M3 engine with the same ecu and airbox produced virtually identical results, and a few bhp less with standard M3 cams.
Other mods include underdrive pulleys which give you a couple of hp more.
The engine management is entirely different, using an Alpha-N ECU measuring throttle position to calculate air mass, so there is no mass air flow sensor. This is necessary due to the carbon air box which can cause turbulence in the air stream. You can get 370ish out of a standard M3 engine with schrick cams and a remap. The CSL will always produce about 15 bhp more because of the air box and less restrictive intake. I would advise against the cams as the wear rate is higher due to the increased lift. Best done with hardened rockers, and at the minimum new BMW rockers.
Have raced CSLs in Britcar and built several engines, and as standard CSL engine on a Motec ECU produces 380bhp on an engine dyno. An M3 engine with the same ecu and airbox produced virtually identical results, and a few bhp less with standard M3 cams.
Other mods include underdrive pulleys which give you a couple of hp more.
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